206 TVWrVRlDJE. 



excepding this latter dimension, especially where a deep fork has 

 to be filled iu. Not far from Piihpoondh, I made a man measure 

 one in my presence, which was an irregular cone (the apex down- 

 wards), by pushing an iron ramrod through it, and found the depth 

 to be 22 inches ! The materials of the nest appear to be heaped 

 on at random, but in reality they are so carefully overlaid, that it 

 is Aery difficult to pull out one of the sticks that compose the nest 

 without pulLng the whole fabric to pieces. The shape of the nest 

 depends upon the locality, and is more generally oblong or oval than 

 truly circular. There is ojdy a slight depression, as a rule, towards 

 the centre of the nest; but I found one nest near Hodul, which 

 was a regular deep cup, in which I really think a moderately-sized 

 sheep might have been stowed away. They always line the centre 

 of the nest more or less with leaves, and the peepul seems their 

 faA'ourite. These leaves are green and fresh when the egg is first 

 laid, and before you blow it you can pretty well guess how long 

 the egg has lain in the nest by the condition of the lining leaves. 



The late Mr. A. Anderson remarked that it " builds exclusively 

 on trees, and seems to have a decided partiality for the burgot and 

 peepul (Ficus indica and F. relic/iosa). It is the earliest breeder 

 amongst our Indian Eaptores. Several eggs were collected near 

 Futtegurh as early as the 15th of October last year ; and though 

 I added considerably to the numbers iu the following month, they 

 were all, with one exception, without any spots. Later in the 

 season, I got an egg almost completely capped at the small end 

 with rich purple-red, but unfortunately it contained a live chick. 

 A curious trait in the habits of this species, viz., that of breaking 

 off green twigs with its beak for a nest-lining, does not appear to 

 have been recorded before." 



And he added these remarks subsequently : — " Last cold season 

 1 found a small colony of these Vultures breeding on a clump of 

 high todd3'-palms, whence I obtained four eggs. I have also lately 

 taken three eggs from one nest and tiuo from another, but of course 

 not the produce of the same bird." 



Mr. W. Theobald makes the following note on this bird's breeding 

 in the neighbourhood of Pind Dadan Khan and Katas in the Salt 

 Eange : — " Lay in the first and second weeks of March; eggs, one 

 only ; shape, ovato-pyriform ; size, 3-36 by 2-62 inches ; colour, 

 dull white ; nest, of sticks and twigs, in large trees." 



I shot a fine male off a nest on the 8th March, thus proving that 

 the males participate in the labour of incubation. The female in 

 this case did not return for some hours ; and when she did, she 

 was apparently so enraged at finding her egg (\i hich Mas much 

 incubated) gone, and her husband missing, that she tore the upper 

 part of the nest to pieces, scattering the sticks and leaf-lining here 

 and there, and making a \i onderful snorting and hissing all the 

 while. This is not the only instance I have witnessed of birds tearing 

 their own nests to pieces in anger at the loss of their eggs. 



Dr. Scully writes from Nepal : — " On the 18th November, while 

 walking through the Pashpati vsood, I was startled by hearing a 



